Inaugural IWGP Women’s Champion KAIRI will defend her title against Tam Nakano at the upcoming Wrestle Kingdom 17 event. The match marks KAIRI’s maiden title defense since winning the gold at November’s Historic X-Over event.
While speaking to NJPW about her title defense against Nakano, KAIRI hyped her opponent and showered her with praise. She said,
“Right. Tam came into STARDOM just as I left, and we hadn’t had any contact. But when Io came over to WWE I asked her about Tam and she said ‘she’s a lot like you’. That put her on my radar… I kind of got a sense of what Io meant when she said we were similar. She really wears her heart on her sleeve. She has this cute, pop idol like look, but a really violent fight style, and that contrast is what makes her really appealing. She certainly had the guts to come out and challenge me right away like she did, and I think she’s the ideal person for the spot.”
“Right. WWE matches are usually built around a more limited number of moves, since the goal is to bring your opponent down while bringing the TV audience in. I think this is really going to be about who dictates the pace, and Tam is good about doing that as well. But I think her biggest weapon is passion… She’s scary, you know (laughs). Last year she was in a lot of match of the year votes from the STARDOM fans, and I think that’s proof of how emotionally invested she gets into her matches. If she has any sense of jealousy, or negative emotions, she’s able to turn that into strength and power, and use it against her opponent.”
KAIRI also touched on the importance of being part of the first singles match for STARDOM at Wrestle Kingdom 17. She said,
“Yeah, that’s a huge responsibility. I’m happy to be in that spot, but it’s a serious situation for sure.”
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